BILL IN ORDER TO GAIN BIPARTISAN
SUPPORT.
TURNING TO THE ENVIRONMENT,
EXPERTS HAVE LONG FEARED THE
DECLINE IN BEE POPULATIONS.
THEY SAY SMALL INSECTS HAVE A
HUGE IMPACT ON THE ECOSYSTEM.
MOST IMPORTANTLY, AGRICULTURE.
BUT THE NUMBER OF BUMBLEBEES IN
WISCONSIN IS UP, AND SO ARE THE
EFFORTS TO HELP THESE
POLLINATORS.
"HERE & NOW" REPORTER, STEVEN
POTTER, HAS THIS STORY.
>> THE POPULATIONS HAVE DECLINED
AT AN ALARMING RATE.
SOME SPECIES, OVER 90%.
WHY HAVE NATIVE BEE POPGHTSZ IN
WISCONSIN AND AROUND THE WORLD
DECLINED AT SUCH A HIGH RATE?
>> CLIMATE CHANGE, LAND USE
CHANGES, HABITAT LOSS, AND
PESTICIDES ARE ALL PLAYING A
ROLE, AND EACH ONE OF THOSE KIND
OF STRESSES OUT THE BEES A
LITTLE BIT AND THEN WHEN YOU
COMBINE THEM ALL TOGETHER, IT'S
AN AWFUL LOT FOR THEM TO HANDLE
AT ONCE.
>> EXPERTS LIKE ELIZABETH BRAATZ
SAY THIS LOSS OF BEES IS A
SERIOUS THREAT TO GLOBAL FOOD
SYSTEMS BECAUSE OF THE ROLE THEY
PLAY IN POLLINATION.
HERE IN WISCONSIN, NATIVE BEES
HELP POLLINATE CRANBERRIES,
APPLES, AND A NUMBER OF OTHER
FRUITS AND VEGETABLES.
ONE IMPORTANT PART OF HELPING
THE STATE'S NATIVE BEES IS
TRACKING AND MONITORING THEIR
LOCATIONS.
STATEWIDE GROUP OF VOLUNTEERS,
KNOWN AS THE BUMBLEBEE BRIGADE,
HAS BEEN DOING JUST THAT FOR
YEARS.
>> WHEN THEY'RE DIPPING DOWN
LIKE THAT, THAT'S WHEN THEY'RE
GATHERING NECTAR.
>> THE BUMBLEBEE BRIGADE IS A
PARTICIPATORY SCIENCE PROGRAM
WHERE ANYONE WHO HAS GOT A
CAMERA ON THEIR CELL PHONE OR
ANY OTHER KIND OF CAMERA CAN
TAKE PHOTOGRAPHS OF BUMBLEBEES
WHEN THEY'RE OUT IN THEIR GARDEN
OR OUT ON A WALK AND SUBMIT
THOSE PHOTOS TO THE WISCONSIN
DNR WEBSITE.
AND THAT INFORMATION IS
INVALUABLE AND IT GETS USED BY
RESEARCHERS.
>> BEGINNING IN 2018, THIS
EFFORT NOW COVERS MOST OF THE
STATE WITH HUNDREDS OF
VOLUNTEERS WHO CATALOG THE
NUMBER OF BEES SPOTTED, THEIR
TYPE AND LOCATION.
DESPITE THIS SUMMER'S DROUGHT,
THE NUMBERS ARE PROMISING.
OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS, THE
DIFFERENT TYPES OF BUMBLEBEES
FOUND HAS INCREASED AND THE
FREQUENCY OF SIGHTINGS HAS MORE
THAN TRIPLED.
>> FINGERS CROSSED FOR THE REST
OF THE SEASON.
WE'RE SEEING LARGER NUMBERS OF
THEM AND, OVERALL, I THINK THAT
THERE'S HOPE FOR WISCONSIN.
>> THERE ARE ABOUT 20 SPECIES OF
NATIVE BUMBLEBEES IN WISCONSIN
BUT THERE'S ONE IN PARTICULAR
THAT VOLUNTEERS AT THE BUMBLEBEE
BRIGADE ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR.
WE HAVE RUSTY PATCH BUMBLEBEES
THEIR AND THE POPULATION OF
RUSTY PATCH BUMBLEBEES HAS
DECREASED BY 90% IN THE LAST 20
YEARS.
WISCONSIN IS, I THINK, THEIR
LAST BEST HOPE FOR SURVIVAL.
>> THE RUSTY PATCH BUMBLEBEE WAS
THE FIRST BEE EVER PUT ON THE
FEDERAL ENDANGERED SPECIES LIST
BACK IN 2017 AND IS REGARDED AS
A GOOD BAROMETER FOR OVERALL
BUMBLEBEE HEALTH IN THE STATE.
IN WISCONSIN, IS A STRONGHOLD
LEFT FOR THE POPULATION, SO WE
CAN FIND THEM ACROSS THE
SOUTHERN HALF OF THE STATE.
BUT ACROSS THEIR ENTIRE RANGE,
FROM MAINE TO THE DAKOTAS, DOWN
TO OHIO AND INDIANA, THEY'VE
DISAPPEARED FROM MOST OF THOSE
AREAS.
>> IN RECENT WEEKS, THREE
BRAND-NEW NESTS FOR THE
BUMBLEBEE HAVE BEEN DISCOVERED
HERE.
TWO WERE DISCOVERED THIS SUMMER
IN SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN.
A THIRD NEST WAS FOUND IN A
LARGE PLOT OF LAND OWNED BY THE
ARIENS, SNOWBLOWER AND LAWN
MOWER MANUFACTURING COMPANY IN
CALUMET COUNTY.
THE ARIENS COMPANY IS TURNING
MORE THAN 200 ACRES INTO WHAT
THEY CALL A POLLINATOR PRAIRIE.
>> SO WE HAVE A BUTTERFLY
PROJECT AND A BUMBLEBEE PROJECT
THAT ARE BOTH MAINLY BUILT ON
THE PRAIRIE OAK SAVANNA.
WE'RE PROVIDING A LOT OF -- I
BELIEVE IT'S OVER 140 SPECIES OF
NATIVE PLANTS WE'RE PROVIDING
NOT ONLY FORAGE FROM APRIL TO
OCTOBER IN THE FORM OF FLOWERING
RESOURCES, BUT WE'RE ALSO
PROVIDING OVERWINTERING HABITAT
AND NESTING HABITAT.
>> THESE EFFORTS TO CREATE
HABITAS FOR BUMBLEBEES ARE
PAYING OFF.
>> IT'S A LOT OF AREA, BUT WE
HAVE 11 DIFFERENT SPECIES OF
BUMBLEBEES FOUND HERE, INCLUDING
THE YELLOW BUMBLEBEE AND THE
AMERICAN BUMBLEBEE, WHICH ARE
BOTH STATE SPECIES OF SPECIAL
CONCERN AND WE ALSO HAVE FOUND
THE FEDERAL ENDANGERED RUSTY
PATCH BUMBLEBEE HERE AND NOW WE
HAVE A NEST, SO I WOULD SAY THE
PROJECT HAS BEEN VERY SUCCES
SUCCESSFUL.
WE SEE A LOT OF BUMBLEBEES ALL
THE TIME.
THEY'RE ALWAYS OUT HERE.
>> STATE LAWMAKERS ARE ALSO
WORKING TO PROTECT NATIVE BEE
POPULATIONS.
>> I'M SO PASSIONATE ABOUT
POLLINATORS AND POLLINATOR
PROTECTION THAT I RECENTLY GOT A
TATTOO ON MY SHOULDER.
IT IS A RUSTY PATCH BUMBLEBEE.
>> APPLETON STATE REPRESENTATIVE
SNODGRASS HAS TWICE INTRODUCED
BILLS TO HELP WISCONSIN AS
POLLINATOR POPULATIONS SAYING
WISCONSIN IS LAGGING BEHIND
OTHER STATES.
>> UNFORTUNATELY, WISCONSIN IS
BEHIND THE EIGHT BALL WHEN IT
COMES TO THIS AND ESPECIALLY
OTHER STATES IN THE MIDWEST.
OTHER STATES HAVE ALREADY PUT
THINGS IN PLACE TO PROTECT
POLLINATORS.
>> SNODGRASS HAS A BILL THAT
WOULD PROHIBIT THE DNR FROM
USING ONE PARTICULAR PESTICIDE.
>> NEONICS ARE A CLASS OF
INSECTICIDES THAT ARE
PARTICULARLY HARMFUL TO
POLLINATORS.
THEY REALLY INTERFERE WITH THE
NEUROLOGICAL SYSTEM, BEES IN
PARTICULAR.
IT MAKES IT DIFFICULT FOR THEM
TO FIND THEIR WAY BACK TO THEIR
HIVES.
>> SHE ALSO ALSO RAISING FUNDING
FOR POLLINATOR HABITATS AND
MANDATING THAT STATE AGENCIES
USE NATIVE PLANTS THAT
POLLINATORS PREFER.
SHE SAYS IT'S AN ENVIRONMENTAL
AND ECONOMIC ISSUE.
>> WITHOUT POLLINATORS,
WISCONSIN REALLY WOULD NOT HAVE
AN AGRICULTURE ECONOMY.
OUR CROPS ARE INCREDIBLY
DEPENDENT ON POLLINATORS.
WE HAVE OUR APPLE PRODUCERS, OUR
HONEY PRODUCERS, OUR CRANBERRY
PRODUCERS, ALL OF THEM WOULD SEE
70, 60, 50% DECLINE WITHOUT
POLLINATORS.
>> AS TO WHAT INDIVIDUALS CAN DO
TO HELP THE NATIVE BEE
POPULATION SURVIVE AND THRIVE IN
WISCONSIN, THE BUMBLEBEE BRIGADE
PROMOTES PLANTING PERENNIALS
LIKE THE PURPLE CONEFLOWER.
PROBABLY ABOUT 25% OF BEES ARE
SOME LEVEL OF A THREATENED
STATUS RIGHT NOW.
THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF LOSS OF
BUMBLEBEES.
>> I'M GOING TO DO WHAT I CAN DO
TO HELP, AND WHAT I CAN DO IS I
CAN PLANT NATIVE FLOWERS IN MY
YARD, I CAN PROMOTE MY NEIGHBORS
PLANTING NATIVE FLOWERS.
I THINK THERE IS HOPE AND IT'S
SOMETHING EVERY SINGLE PERSON
CAN DO TO MAKE THINGS BETTER FOR
THE BUMBLEBEE.
>> REPORTING FROM CALUMET
COUNTY, FOR HERE AND NOW, I'M
STEVEN POTTER.
>> FOR MORE ON THIS AND OTHER
ISSUES FACING WISCONSIN, VISIT
OUR WEBSITE AT PBS WISCONSIN